BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Standard Chartered Bank plans to increase the number of dealers in China by about two-thirds in three to four years, as it seeks a bigger role in the country's fast-growing bond and foreign exchange market, China Daily reported Friday.

    The British lender is also seeking regulatory approval to become a bond market maker in China as well as an underwriter of Chinese corporate debt, the newspaper said, citing the bank's China head of global markets John Tan.

    The move comes amid the bank's other fund-raising plans. In June it unveiled plans to raise up to 3.5 billion yuan (512.5 million U.S. dollars) selling yuan-denominated bonds in China.

    Group Chief Executive Peter Sands said on Sept. 14 that the bank will look into alternative listing options, when asked whether the lender would consider an IPO in Shanghai, joining HSBC and Bank of East Asia.

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